preparing tea

8/13/2019 Preparing Tea

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PREPARING TEA

PREPARATION

Preparing tea is an exercise in simplicity that, to paraphrase the words of the Japanese tea

master Sen no Rikyu, consists of nothing but boiling water, making the tea, and serving. While

these words indeed capture the spirit of tea, preparing any of the hundreds of teas availablerequires attention and knowledge.

Making a delicious cup of tea is a play of tea leaves, the amount of water used, watertemperature, the time of infusion, and the vessel the tea is brewed in. Following the correctdirections for a tea can make even an unextraodinary tea satisfying, while brewing a rare,expensive tea incorrectly can lead to a bitter, undrinkable infusion.

WATER

Always use freshly drawn, cold water to prepare tea. Purified and spring water are best

because they are relatively free from pollutants and other substances that can dramatically

alter tea's taste. On the other hand, it is preferable for the water to have some natural minerals

content, as they may enhance the tea's flavor. For this reason, distilled water should beavoided since the lack of minerals will leave the tea tasting flat. Similarly, one should never

use pre-heated water-as from the faucet, for instance. This kind of water has mostly likelybeen overheated, thereby losing oxygen content while picking up possibly harmful substances

from the water pipes.

Traditionally, in Asia, water is always brought to gentle boil before one prepares tea. Boilingwater eliminates many harmful germs and bacteria. Though water quality has improved vastly,boiling in the water in this fashion can help to bring out tea's flavor. The water should be

heated until a steady stream of air bubbles gently rise to the surface. At this point, the water is

sufficiently heated and also has a preferable oxygen content. In contrast, using water that hasbeen held at a fierce, rolling boil can leave tea tasting dull and flat.


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TEMPERATURE

Temperature is critical in making good tea. The popular conception that boiling water can be

used on any kind of tea is actually incorrect. In fact, each variety of tea, from green to black,needs to prepared at a different range of temperature. Because of its more delicate

processing, green tea often needs a cooler temperature to bring out the right flavor.

Conversely, black tea, which has been fully oxidized, needs much hotter water to bring out itscharacteristic baked sweetness.

DURATION OF INFUSION

Similar to water temperature, different kinds of tea need to brewed for different lengths of time.

Generally, delicate teas such as green tea need to be brewed for shorter times, while heartierblack teas and earthy, fermented pu-erh teas benefit from longer infusions. Of course, the

duration of the infusion varies with culture and personal preference.

MATERIAL OF TEAPOT

While seemingly unimportant at first, the material of the teapot being used also affects the

quality of the infusion. When considering a teapot, it is important to consider the variety of tea

and the temperature at which it is prepared. Materials like iron or Chinese yixing ware areexcellent at retaining heat over long periods of time, while glass or porcelain are more likely torelease that heat. Therefore, iron and similarly heavy materials are better for teas that need to

be prepared at high temperatures, such as black tea or yixing. A teapot made from iron wouldkeep the water hot enough to extract the teas full flavor. Green and white teas, on the otherhand, needs a vessel that stays cooler, such as porcelain.

GENERAL GUIDELINES

The following instructions will allow you to make a good cup of any kind of tea. Also includedare suggestions for amount of tea leaves, time of infusion, water temperature, and material of

teapot for the general varieties of tea. Of course, there are more detailed instructions for anykind of tea. To find out more on how to prepare a specific kinds of a variety of tea, click on the

kind of tea below.

1. Bring freshly drawn, cold water to a boil in a kettle

2. When water is at a gentle boil, remove heat.

3. Pour hot water into teapot and teacups and pour off. By warming the cups in this way, the

water temperature will be more consistent.


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4. Add the proper amount of tea leaves per person to the pot.

5. Allow water to cool to the proper temperature, if necessary, and pour over the tea leaves.

6. Steep for the proper length of time.

7. Strain completely into another teapot or directly into the serving cups.

Type of Tea Amount Time of Infusion Temperature MaterialWhite 2-3 tsps 3 minutes 176 - 185 F Glass, porcelainGreen

Japanese (Steamed) 1-2 tsps 1-2 minutes 158-176 F Glass, earthenwareChinese

(Pan Fired)2 tsps 2-3 minutes 176-185 F Glass, porcelain

OolongLight (Green) 2-3 tsps 2-3 minutes 185-203 F Porcelain, yixingHeavy (Dark) 2-3 tsps 3 minutes 203 F Yixing

BlackBroken Leaf 1-2 tsps 2-3 minutes 203 F Porcelain

Full Leaf 1-2 tsps 3-5 minutes 203 F PorcelainPu-Erh(Fermented)

1-2 tsps 3 minutes 212 F Yixing

Tisanes/Herbal 1-2 tsps 3 minutes 212 F Glass, porcelainSuggestions are made for a 6 oz (20cc) serving.

GRADING OF TEA LEAVES

In the tea trade, black teas are often graded by the size and quality of the leaf. Below are the

general classifications for orthodox black tea, meaning tea that is processed by means basedon traditional Chinese processing methods. Orthodox manufacture continues to produce the

world's top quality black teas. Keep in mind, however, that these terms are used mainly for


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teas from India, Sri Lanka, Africa, and Indonesia. The great black teas of China, for instance,

are rarely graded along these lines.

As a side note, the other manufacture method gaining prominence is done by machines that

basically pulverize the leaves. Known as CTC (Crush-Torn-Curl), this method produces

uniform, pellet-like tea leaves, generally used in tea bags. In general, this processing yields

higher volumes of tea at the expense of quality.After the leaves are finally processed, they are sorted according to several specific criteria.First, the size of the leaf is determined: full or broken. Secondly, the quality of leaf is

evaluated. Namely, the kind of tea leaves used is determined. The finest leaves are theyoungest, while more mature leaves yield a less satisfactory flavor. An important factor is the

presence of tips, which indicates that the youngest shoots have been used. And though tips

alone do not make a great tea, their presence often foreshadows finer, sweeter notes in theactual infusion. Such teas are often denoted with the term "tippy". By the end of the sorting,the different lots from the production are graded with one of the terms below, which indicate

certain basic qualities to brokers and buyers.

Full Leaf TeasOP Orange Pekoe

Made from the top two leaves known as pekoe and orange pekoe. FOP Flowery Orange Pekoe

Composed of the terminal bud (tip) and the top two leaves.GFOP Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

FOP with golden tipsTGFOP Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

FOP with a high proportion of golden tipsFTGFOP Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

FOP of outstanding qualitySTGFOP Special Finest Tippy Golden Flowery Orange Pekoe

The very best FOPA '1' added to the end will indicate the finest quality within that grade, i.e. FTGFOP1.

Broken Leaf TeasBOP Broken Orange PekoeFBOP Flowery Broken Orange Pekoe


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GBOP Golden Broken Orange PekoeTGBOP Tippy Golden Broken Orange PekoeGFBOP Golden Flowery Broken Orange PekoeIncluded under the broken leaf category are fannings, which is made of extremely fine leaf pieces

and makes a very brisk breakfast-style tea, and dust, a lower grade which is used exclusively for

tea bags.It is important to note that full leaf teas are not necessarily superior to their broken leafcounterparts. Broken leaf tea infuses more quickly into the water, making them more

invigorating and, hence, ideal for the morning. Full leaf teas take a longer time to infuse

and are often subtler in taste. Also, broken leaf teas also can contain tips, though thegrading is not to such an intricate degree.

GENERAL INFORMATION:Continental U.S.Ito En (North America) Inc.

45 Main Street, Suite 3A

Brooklyn, NY 11201T: 718-250-4000

F: [email protected]

preparing tea

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